I am enjoying my life with my beautiful wife of more than 18 months. I like to ask, "If you can't laugh at yourself, what good are ya?" I have two favorite movies: Ghostbusters and Ishtar. G...ters bc it is perfect. Ishtar is also perfect, but you have to be in the right frame of mind. I sometimes think it was panned so terribly because many Americans can't laugh at themselves. To find Istar humorous, you have to be able to laugh at the insane things that people do when they are out of their home countries. Istar is one long, non-stop piece of hilarity for me.

The one great mistake in my life was not going to acting school. In Ukraine, I was able to act in many movies that were produced for youtube/facebook. In Malta, I was recognized three times by complete strangers who recognized me from those movies. Hopefully, I will be able to do more acting when we return to Ukraine.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to meet people and learn about thier countries. I am blown over when I realize a guy like me, from a farm in Iowa, is sitting beside people from Egypt, Ukraine, Belgium, Spain, Russia, the UK, etc, etc. The world is small, and I love to have friends in every part of it.

Interests

I'm writing memoir stories. Maybe I will patch them all together into a real book someday. I'd like to write a book so something lives on after I have left this life. I host storytelling events from time to time. I have done this in Albania, Kiev, and Malta.

• animals
• writing
• running
• movies
• reading
• swimming
• storytelling
• farming
• ultimate frisbee
• world peace
• pescatarianism
• composting'

Music, Movies, and Books

Authors: Richard Baak, George Orwell, Bill Bryson, Robert James Waller, James Herriot, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, John Green, Ralph Fletcher, Willian Least Heat Moon, Barrack Obama, Jane Smiley, Cheryl Strayed

Barry Manilow is my favorite singer.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swum across the Bosphorus Strait

Teach, Learn, Share

I am an English teacher. Most people here speak English already, but I might give you some tips. I would like to learn to play the guitar. I know it sounds quite egotistical to say that I have a lot of stories, but...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Friendship...Irina, my beautiful wife, and I can teach you several interesting card games.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malta, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Thailand, Ukraine, United States